Difference Between Implosion and Explosion

Explosions and implosions are two mechanical processes that are discussed in various fields, in physics and engineering. An explosion is a process where an object is reduced to smaller pieces and the pieces are being expelled from the original place. An implosion is a similar phenomenon but the pieces collapse into the center of the object instead of being expelled. The concepts of explosion and implosion play a vital role in fields such as astronomy, stellar evolution, cosmology, civil engineering, disaster safety, military applications and various other fields. In this article, we are going to discuss what explosion and implosion are, their definitions, some examples for explosions and implosions, their applications and finally the difference between explosion and implosion.

What is Explosion?

An explosion is a process where the original volume of the system is increased rapidly. A rapid release of energy is also present in explosions. Explosions usually create a shock wave. Due to the rapid pressure change of the medium and the rapid volume change from the explosion creates a pressure wave that will travel radially outward from the center of explosion. This wave is known as the shock wave of the explosion. Due to the sudden release of a high amount of energy, explosions usually create very high temperatures. Explosives are materials that are used to create explosions. Explosives fall into several categories. They are categorized according to their explosive power. Namely they are high explosives, medium explosives and mild explosives. Explosions also occur in astronomical scale. Supernovae are one type of explosion that occurs in an astronomical scale. These astronomical explosions usually generate enough energy to destroy nearby planetary systems. In military applications, nuclear reactions are the best known type of explosive. Explosions also occur in nature. They are mainly volcanic eruptions.

What is Implosion?

Implosion is a process that contracts and condenses the matter and energy. An implosion can occur in several places. Implosions are common in astronomy. High mass stars that have burnt out their fuel no longer produces any energy, the outward radiation pressure and the outward gas pressure are insufficient to resist the own gravitational force of the star itself. This causes the star to collapse on its own gravity. These types of implosions may sometimes lead to secondary explosions due to the sudden increment in the temperature due to the collapse. Implosions are also used in controlled demolitions, nuclear warhead triggers, fluid dynamical applications and cathode ray tubes. Implosions occur naturally in geological systems and events such as lightning.